My First Receiver (1 Viewer)

I'm new to all of this, so please bear with me. I've done a good deal of reading on this forum and others regarding this topic. I've pretty much limited my spending on a receiver to somewhere between $200-300. To go with the receiver, I plan to get the JBL NSP1 speaker setup along with a powered sub later on.
From everthing I've seen here and there, the Onkyo TX-SR500, the Panasonic SA-HE100 and the Pioneer VSX-D811S are pushed pretty hard as some of the best in this price range. What I haven't seen mentioned much is the Pioneer VSX-D711, except in comparisons with the 811S.
This will be my first setup for HT, so I don't want to make the mistake of getting a poor receiver. At the same time, I'd still like to afford my college tuition . I'm leaning heavily towards the VSX-D711 since it's a little friendlier on the wallet, it's quite similar to the heavily praised 811S, and I'm only housing all of this in an apartment.
I'd really like any input that can be offered as to my making the right decision in getting the 711 over one of the other three. Neither 6.1 nor 7.1 are really high on my must have list; this is only my first of hopefully many setups. Would I be better off getting one of the other three, or can the 711 stand its ground in a performance comparison?

I own a Onkyo TX-SR500 and it's a fine performing reciever. I am sure it will run the JBL NSP1 just fine.